Technology – a tool that can be used to speed things up, increase reliability and provide anonymity. These are three ideas that come together in one app – Citizen News Wire.

Created by Development Innovations, along with the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM), this application capitalises on technology to connect a network of reporters from 16 provinces in Cambodia to ensure a faster flow of information to mainstream media in the cities.

Already, established national newspapers like the Cambodia Daily, the Phnom Penh Post and Raskmey Kampuchea are showing an interest in using the reports that have been submitted to the app.

Supported on Android phones, the network of 82 citizen journalists signed up to CCIM will use the app to collect, report and track issues in the 16 provinces.

When a report is submitted, it will automatically be posted to an aggregated platform that can be accessed online through phones and computers. This means that the reports will immediately be made available for professional journalists on mainstream media platforms to build on the news tips and craft stories around them!

Through this, we can see that technology, particularly the internet, is helping to ensure that information reaches the mainstream media in an instant!

So that’s how technology is helping to speed things up. Next, we look at increased reliability.

When it comes to journalism, we think about reliability in terms of the quality of reporting. Well, we can be assured about this as each of the CJs using the platform are trained in the art of news writing and are equipped with complimentary skills like photography and videography to capture what they see. Furthermore, each report is automatically set with data about the time, date and location where the incident was taken which helps to increase the credibility of the report.

And that’s how technology increases reliability. Now, we look at how technology is also helping the users of the application feel more secure.

Within the application, CJs are allowed to submit reports but opt not to be identified. The app also allows reporters to choose to receive enquiries about their report through an anonymous account and lets them respond anonymously as well. This function helps reporters have a piece of mind when reporting the incidents in the provinces and ensures that important albeit sensitive pieces of news will have an increased chance of being picked up by mainstream media.

So that’s that! Your lowdown on how technology is supporting citizen journalism – by allowing information to travel faster, making the information more reliable and ensuring that its users stay secure!

For us at Geeks in Cambodia, we’re heartened to see how technology is able to support and advance a field like journalism as well. Through the Citizen News Wire app, we hope that information from the provinces can flow freely and without hassle to journalists in the city so that important issues are highlighted.